Here is a guide to help make describing cheese easier.
If you are hosting a cheese tasting party or sitting around eating yummy cheese, just remember your five senses...
1.
SIGHT Before touching a cheese, remark on the appearance of a cheese.
Color: Is the color of the cheese rind intense or uniform? Surface: Is the surface smooth or full of defects such as cracks? Eyes: These are small holes in the cheese.
Are their numerous eyes or is the rind smooth? Crystals: These are bright grains that develop mostly on the surface of the cheese that add to the flavor of cheese.
Can you spot them? 2.
A.
TOUCH Now that you've observed the cheese, pick up the cheese and feel it.
Where does the cheese fall within these spectrums? Roughness: Think of a spectrum ranging between a granny smith apple (smoothest) to short bread (the roughest).
Surface Moisture: Think of a spectrum ranging between a walnut shell (very dry) to an apple cut in half (very moist) Elasticity: Think of a spectrum ranging between butter (very little elasticity) to a sausage (very elastic) Spreadability: Think of a spectrum ranging between soft butter (very spreadable) to cold butter (stiff) 3.
SMELL After feeling your cheese, now you are ready to smell the rind and then smell the cheese under the rind.
Do they smell different? Here are some cheese descriptors that may help you describe what you smell: Fresh Butter, Boiled milk, yogurt, garlic, fermented hay, nuts, caramel, chocolate, animal (yes, like an animal!), leather, meat, spices, mould.
4.
A.
TASTE Finally, you're ready to take your first bite.
What is your first impression? Don't think too hard.
Just let your words come.
You can use the same cheese descriptors to help you: Fresh Butter, Boiled milk, yogurt, garlic, fermented hay, nuts, roasted nuts, caramel, chocolate, animal (yes, like an animal!), leather, meat, spices, pepper, mould, rancid.
Another question to ask yourself is: What level of sweetness, saltiness, sourness and bitterness is your cheese? 2.
B.
TOUCH At this point in the cheese tasting, you are now touching the cheese with your mouth (instead of your fingers) You can evaluate cheese using the following two spectrums: Deformability: Think of a spectrum ranging from butter (in your mouth) to sausage Friability: Think of a spectrum ranging from a boiled egg to shortbread 4.
B.
TASTE You are not done tasting yet! Don't forget about the final and oh so surprising AFTER TASTE! Here are some helpful questions: Did your cheese change in flavour from start to finish? Did your cheese taste entirely different from how it smelled? For example, your cheese may smell rancid but it tastes like nuts.
You have just evaluated cheese using your five senses.
This is a helpful list of questions and descriptors to use any time you are serving cheese.
Use this list when you host a cheese party and it will help guide the senses of your guests.
If you are hosting a cheese tasting party or sitting around eating yummy cheese, just remember your five senses...
1.
SIGHT Before touching a cheese, remark on the appearance of a cheese.
Color: Is the color of the cheese rind intense or uniform? Surface: Is the surface smooth or full of defects such as cracks? Eyes: These are small holes in the cheese.
Are their numerous eyes or is the rind smooth? Crystals: These are bright grains that develop mostly on the surface of the cheese that add to the flavor of cheese.
Can you spot them? 2.
A.
TOUCH Now that you've observed the cheese, pick up the cheese and feel it.
Where does the cheese fall within these spectrums? Roughness: Think of a spectrum ranging between a granny smith apple (smoothest) to short bread (the roughest).
Surface Moisture: Think of a spectrum ranging between a walnut shell (very dry) to an apple cut in half (very moist) Elasticity: Think of a spectrum ranging between butter (very little elasticity) to a sausage (very elastic) Spreadability: Think of a spectrum ranging between soft butter (very spreadable) to cold butter (stiff) 3.
SMELL After feeling your cheese, now you are ready to smell the rind and then smell the cheese under the rind.
Do they smell different? Here are some cheese descriptors that may help you describe what you smell: Fresh Butter, Boiled milk, yogurt, garlic, fermented hay, nuts, caramel, chocolate, animal (yes, like an animal!), leather, meat, spices, mould.
4.
A.
TASTE Finally, you're ready to take your first bite.
What is your first impression? Don't think too hard.
Just let your words come.
You can use the same cheese descriptors to help you: Fresh Butter, Boiled milk, yogurt, garlic, fermented hay, nuts, roasted nuts, caramel, chocolate, animal (yes, like an animal!), leather, meat, spices, pepper, mould, rancid.
Another question to ask yourself is: What level of sweetness, saltiness, sourness and bitterness is your cheese? 2.
B.
TOUCH At this point in the cheese tasting, you are now touching the cheese with your mouth (instead of your fingers) You can evaluate cheese using the following two spectrums: Deformability: Think of a spectrum ranging from butter (in your mouth) to sausage Friability: Think of a spectrum ranging from a boiled egg to shortbread 4.
B.
TASTE You are not done tasting yet! Don't forget about the final and oh so surprising AFTER TASTE! Here are some helpful questions: Did your cheese change in flavour from start to finish? Did your cheese taste entirely different from how it smelled? For example, your cheese may smell rancid but it tastes like nuts.
You have just evaluated cheese using your five senses.
This is a helpful list of questions and descriptors to use any time you are serving cheese.
Use this list when you host a cheese party and it will help guide the senses of your guests.
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